The Downside of Influence

Influence is a worthwhile pursuit with the power to change individuals, organizations, communities, even entire civilizations.

It can, of course, be used for good or evil. And the allure of influence can be deceptive. But good people with an important message should still pursue it.

For example, I desire Becoming Minimalist to be an influential place where people are introduced to a better way of living—a way of life that removes the pursuit of material possessions and focuses on longer-lasting pursuits.

I desire to influence as many people as possible with this important truth.

Influence is a powerful, world-changing pursuit.

But it is important to be aware of its downsides.

Almost by default, influence carries the potential to change the holder. And because it does, those who possess it must regularly seek to keep their motivation in the proper place.

It is not an untold story. In fact, we know it well. A well-intentioned man or woman sets out with the purest of intentions: to make a difference and change their family, community, or world for good.

Then, something amazing happens. They actually succeed.

People are quickly impressed and attracted to their accomplishments. They begin to attract more influence. More influence begins to attract new opportunities—some healthy, some unhealthy. Temptations get stronger. And when internal motivation is not kept in alignment with healthy pursuits, trouble quickly follows.

Our motivation must be kept purely in check at all times. And all the more as our influence begins to grow.

We must constantly remind ourselves that we are not above temptation. We are just as susceptible to the pursuit of money or power or selfish desires as the next guy or gal. We are not above it. We are only human.

We must continually remind ourselves why we do what we do. Our longings are greater than money and possessions. We desire influence not as a means to achieve personal success or recognition. We desire influence motivated by love—love for others and love for a better way to live.

We must routinely evaluate our motives. This can be difficult. The slow growth of unhealthy motivation in our hearts and minds can be difficult to decipher. Often, the eyes of a friend or family member can notice them before our own. Humbly pursue the truth. Ask the hard questions of yourself and others. And remove your first defensive response to those answers.

May your influence continue to increase. May it bring about good in your homes, workplaces, and local communities. But as it does, may your motivations always be kept pure—not just for your own sake, but also for the sake of those we seek to reach.

About Joshua Becker

Writer. Inspiring others to live more by owning less.WSJ Bestselling author of The More of Less.

Comments

been reading your blogs for almost a year now.. so proud to say that i’ve been sharing your wonderful articles to my family and friends hoping to influence them in a good way, the way you and other minimalists have greatly influenced me. I can’t say that i’m now a full-blast minimalist but i’m on the right track. i’m still struggling discarding things with sentimental values. i hope to overcome this difficulty though.

An interesting side-effect with influence is that you become more conscious of the message you put out into the world and its potential consequences.

A wise friend of mine (who has infinitely more influence than I do) once asked me if I’m scared I’m giving people the wrong advice. He worries from time to time if the message he gives is applicable for the person reading in front of a screen, regardless of how well it has worked for him and several others.

What I do is remind myself that the only thing I can do is speak from experience and what has worked for me. It’s up to the receiver to modify it to fit his own needs. The rest is out of my control.

Frankly, I’m not so sure “influence” in itself “is a worthwhile pursuit.” I know people have become expert influencers and whole businesses have been created to teach one how to become one. However, I don’t think it’s healthy. Pursuing it for its own sake seems somewhat egotistical or god-complex-like to me.

Would I be correct in stating that when you started out, you weren’t seeking influence but were simply sharing passionately about the things you were discovering? The truth of the message itself and your becoming a successful practitioner of it has brought you influence, especially in this area. It’s been natural an organic.

The heady power of power.. :) It is a topic that isn’t covered at all by the people who are in power – they are too busy utilizing that power to change the world. But it is refreshing to see you cover it in your blog – your blog is obviously one of the more influential ones in the blogosphere, but I would have to say that I have never seen your ego creep up into any of the posts or comments that you place here. I am not there yet – anytime any of my articles get any recognition, my ego gets highly inflated.

Should we really try to change someone with our message, or just present our message? The more we try to change others, the less time we spend growing ourselves. I started a small meditation group. I wanted the group to grow, I wanted others to receive the benefits of meditation as I have. The more I tried, the more I wanted others to change and meditate like me. Eventually this leads to judging others for doing what I am doing.

I love this reminder. As an entrepreneur it’s so important to stay in touch with the WHY behind your work. As a mom and an entrepreneur (like many other mompreneurs) I don’t do it for the money, I do it to inspire others and help them regain control over their lives so they can live more meaningful, purposeful lives.

Owning a business can quickly be all about the money… or even lack there of… so it’s absolutley important to stay aligned with our vision.

I’m amazed that you and others are able to not do it for the money. That doesn’t fit my personal wiring.

I am much freer today, but money (or what it represents) has been such a driving force in my past that I am always questioning my motives. It’s easy for me to say it’s not for the money, but so hard to know if that’s true.

It seems the only way to for *me* to know for *sure* that it’s true is to have relative financial independence and seek no compensation or monetization strategy.

Thanks for reminding us. “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

I was so impressed by a blogger that I follow who simply said no to a big opportunity that came her way after her home was featured in a major magazine and her blog became quite popular through that exposure. I am sure that it was a very big decision for her family of 5, who would have nicely profited from this opportunity, but she was able to stand back and look at her life and see the value of what she had built, and decline the offer. That takes core strength. That takes living your ideals. Living one’s own life is far different than desiring to influence others, no matter how altruistic it seems. Your post spoke to me about being ever vigilant that ego doesn’t sneak in and change one’s ideals.

I feel like I could write an entirely separate post on how this post applies to parenting, a realm of life which, for better or worse, affords more power and influence over other humans than perhaps any other.

In fact, I think I will. Thanks for the inspiration today. I’ll be sure to link to this to credit you appropriately.